As spring arrives in Beijing, it is time to get outside to admire beautiful flowers in full bloom and take part in various cultural activities at parks and scenic spots.

[Photo via VCG]

The First Peach Blossom Viewing Season and World Famous Flower Exhibition

China National Botanical Garden: "The First Peach Blossom Viewing Season and World Famous Flower Exhibition", as the first springtime flower exhibition since the inauguration of the China National Botanical Garden, kicked off on March 25. More than a thousand varieties of spring flowers, such as peach blossoms, plum blossoms, Chinese crabapple blossoms and tulips, will gradually bloom during the exhibition.

The China National Botanical Garden, with the largest collection of spring flower species in Beijing, is home to over 1,000 species (including varieties) of spring-flowering plants on display. Apart from common spring flowers, visitors can view distinctive plants such as witch hazel flowers, Chinese fringe flowers, and dove trees under China's first-level protection in the garden. During the Peach Blossom Viewing Season, multiple events and exhibitions will be held at the garden. To help visitors better enjoy the flowers, the garden has introduced its first spring flower-viewing map which indicates the flowering time and locations of major spring flowers.

Starting from March 27, the garden has launched its WeChat mini program for smart tourism "Zhiqubufan" (remarkable fun of plants) for trial operation. The mini program features self-service navigation, audio guides, self-service ticketing for the garden's tour buses and other functions, enabling visitors to explore the garden in a smart manner.

Address: Wofosi Road, Fragrant Hills, Haidian District, Beijing

Ticket booking: Official WeChat account "China National Botanical Garden"

The 34th Cherry Blossom Cultural Event and the 4th Spring Flower Exhibition

Yuyuantan Park: The 34th Cherry Blossom Cultural Event and the 4th Spring Flower Exhibition kicked off on March 18. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 cherry trees from over 40 varieties available for visitors to admire in Yuyuantan Park. The Prunus discoidea in the park's "Zaoyingbaochun" (early cherry blossoms in spring) scenic area has been in full bloom.

Visitors can enter the park via different entrances to enjoy various scenery of cherry blossoms. Particularly, at the "South Hill View of Cherry Blossoms" scenic area, visitors can roam along the cherry blossom viewing trail to admire the cherry blossoms in the Cherry Blossom Garden opposite and appreciate the stunning scenery in the new area of the park. In short, visitors can see the most beautiful scenery of Yuyuantan Park from a variety of perspectives.

A boat trip to watch the cherry blossoms and willows on riverbanks is also a good option. In addition to enjoying flowers, visitors can purchase unique cultural and creative products.

Address: No. 10 West 3rd Ring Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing

Ticket booking: Official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks, WeChat mini program "Yuyuantan Park 5G", and "Beijing Yikatong" (Beijing one-card pass) app.

The 20th Magnolia Viewing Season

Beijing International Sculpture Park: The 20th Magnolia Viewing Season will be held from March 25 to April 5. Situated in the west of the park, the "Magnolia Garden" covers an area of approximately five hectares, where over 5,000 Magnolia trees begin to bloom from late March to early April each year. The park boasts the largest number and new varieties of magnolia blossoms in a full range of colors, with a long flowering period. During the flower-viewing season, the park also offers cultural activities such as tea ceremonies, art exhibitions, and literati gatherings.

This year, the park adopts a combination of online and offline activities to invite netizens and citizens to appreciate magnolia flowers together. Additionally, it also launches "Slow TV" on social media platforms such as the "Beijing Shijingshan" app, official WeChat account "Beijing Shijingshan", and official Weibo account "Beijing Shijingshan", enabling viewers to observe the flowers' blooming process in real-time.

Address: No. 2 Shijingshan Road (west side of Exit A of Yuquanlu Subway Station), Shijingshan District, Beijing

Ticket booking: Official WeChat Account "Beijing International Sculpture Park"

The First China-chic Art Festival

Beijing Garden Expo Park: The First China-chic Art Festival will be held at the Beijing Garden Expo Park from April 1 to 5. The upcoming festival integrates peach blossoms with China-chic, featuring a range of relaxing and amusing activities that provide a delightful cultural and tourism experience for both citizens and visitors.

In spring, a variety of flowers such as David's peach blossoms, winter jasmine flowers and magnolia flowers come into bloom at the Beijing Garden Expo Park. During the China-chic Art Festival, visitors can access Hanfu makeup and photography on site, trying on the traditional Chinese clothing and capturing the beauty of the spring scenery with their cameras. Additionally, the festival will present fairs with different themes, allowing visitors to personally experience the fun of DIY.

Address: No. 15 Shejichang Road, Changxindian Town, Fengtai District, Beijing

Ticket booking: No booking is required for admission. For details, please follow the official WeChat account of Beijing Garden Expo Park.

The 3rd Beijing Huazhao Hanfu Culture Festival

Beijing Garden of World's Flowers: The 3rd Beijing Huazhao Hanfu Culture Festival is set to kick off on April 5. It will include twelve flower goddesses selection, Han-style dance competition, and Chinese-style song competition, as well as interactive activities such as the movable-type printing, lantern making, and hand painting of circular fans. Apart from a Han-style market, visitors can explore the Hanfu exhibition to understand Hanfu culture during the festival. At the same time, flowers such as the Chinese violet cress, flowering plum, forsythia, Chinese crabapple blossoms, peach blossoms, and pear blossoms are in full bloom in the garden.

Address: No. 235 South 4th Ring Middle Road, Fengtai District, Beijing

Ticket booking: Purchase tickets on site or on a reputable third-party ticketing platform

The 12th Spring Outing Festival

Beijing Xishan National Forest Park: The 11th Forest Culture Festival in Beijing and the 12th Spring Outing Festival in Beijing Xishan National Forest Park kicked off on March 19, lasting until April 30. During the Spring Outing Festival, the park will hold a series of activities such as flower viewing, folk cultural performances, photography exhibitions, and hiking.

In addition to David's peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, winter jasmine flowers, magnolia flowers, forsythia and plum blossoms, the flowering plum, flowering peach, peonies, and Chinese herbaceous peonies in the park are also coming into bloom.

Address: 100 meters west of the intersection of Minzhuang Road and Xiangshan South Road, Beijing

Ticket booking: Official WeChat account "Beijing Xishan National Forest Park".

 (Source: Official WeChat account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism)